Munich is a huge city with several district articles containing sightseeing, restaurant, nightlife and accommodation listings — have a look at each of them.

Munich's iconic buildings: Frauenkirche and Neues Rathaus

Munich (German: München, Bavarian: Minga) [1] is the capital city of Bavaria. Within the city limits, Munich has a population of more than 1.4 million, making it the third most populous city in Germany. Greater Munich including its suburbs has a population of 2.6 million. The Munich metropolitan region which extends to cities like Augsburg or Ingolstadt had a population of more than 5.6 million in 2008.

Munich, located at the river Isar in the south of Bavaria, is famous for its beautiful architecture, fine culture, and the annual Oktoberfest beer celebration. Munich's cultural scene is second to none in Germany, with the museums even considered by some to outrank Berlin in quality. Many travelers to Munich are absolutely stunned by the quality of the architecture. Although it was heavily damaged by allied bombing during World War II, many of its historic buildings have been rebuilt and the city center appears mostly as it did in the late 1800s including its largest church, the Frauenkirche, and the famous city hall (Neues Rathaus).

Munich is a major international center of business, engineering, research and medicine exemplified by the presence of two research universities, a multitude of smaller colleges, headquarters of several multinational companies and worldclass technology and science museums like the Deutsches Museum and BMW Museum. It is Germany's most prosperous city and makes it repeatedly into the top 10 of global quality-of-life rankings. Munich's ability to stay at the forefront of technological developments and maintain its cultural heritage is often summarized in the chracterization as a city of "laptop and lederhosen".

Districts

Districts of Munich

City Center (Altstadt-Lehel)The City Center is usually defined as the area within the old city fortifications, now most distinctly recognizable by the traffic loop known as the Altstadtring, although there are many portions of the historical walls still visible. Many of the main tourist attractions can be found in the City Center. Most notable are of course the New City Hall (Neues Rathaus) with the world famous Glockenspiel, the Old City Hall, the Feldherrenhalle, the Residenz (former residence of the Bavarian kings), Nationaltheater (the opera house) and the world's most famous beer hall, the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl. Several historic churches such as the Frauenkirche, Asamkirche, Peterskirche and Theatinerkirche are also located in the city center. Three of the historic city gates still exist: Karlstor (at Stachus), Isartor and Sendlinger Tor (all are located at U-Bahn or S-Bahn stations). Several of Munich's major shopping areas are located in the City Center. This includes Neuhauser Strasse and Kaufinger Strasse with department stores and branches of international fashion chains, the luxury shopping areas around Maximilianstrasse, Theatinerstrasse, Residenzstrasse and Brienner Strasse and Viktualienmarkt with the adjacent Schrannenhalle, where merchants offer fresh and specialty products in small market booths.

Maxvorstadt (Maxvorstadt)Maxvorstadt is the upscale academic and arts district just north of the historic city center. The University of Munich (LMU) and the Technische Universität München (TUM), Germany's two top universities, as well as several other educational institutions are located in the area. Furthermore, you can find a couple of world-class art museums such as the famous Pinakotheken, Museum Brandhorst, the Lenbach Haus as well as the Glyptothek and the Staatliche Antikensammlungen. The latter two of these museums are housed in Ionic and Corinthian buildings, which form together with the Doric Propylaea the picturesque Königsplatz square. A high number of art galleries can be found in Maxvorstadt too. Because of its high density of artistic and scientific institutions, Maxvorstadt is often referred to as the Brain of Munich. The area is also full of little shops, bars and restaurants.

Schwabing & English Garden (Schwabing-West, Schwabing-Freimann)This trendy but charming neighborhood immediately beyond the Ludwig-Maximilian Universität is filled with small cafés, expensive but impressive shoe and fashion stores, specialty bookstores, galleries and specialty restaurants from around the world. Schwabing has always been an "in" place to live and was the home of many artists and other personalities including writers Thomas and Heinrich Mann, painters Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee, revolutionary Wladimir Iljitsch Lenin and physicist Werner Heisenberg. Looking at the shady tree-lined boulevards, it is not difficult to imagine why. Leopoldstrasse offers extensive sidewalk cafes, bars and restaurants where you can relax after going shopping in Hohenzollernstrasse and the area around Kurfürstenplatz. The English Garden, a vast urban park with several creeks, lakes and beergardens, in the east of Schwabing is the main recreational area for Munich's residents and a must-see for any Munich visitor.

Olympic area (Olympiagelände)Built on Munich's former airport Oberwiesenfeld, this is the area of the 1972 Olympic Games. If you climb to top of the hills piled up from debris of World War II, you will have a great overview of the area. This is especially worthwhile if there is a concert in the Olympic Stadium. The Olympic site itself is extremely beautiful and the ride to the top of the Olympic Tower is unmissable as it gives magnificent views of the city and the Bavarian Alps on clear days. Located just a short stroll from the park is the BMW World and BMW Museum inside a futuristic building and the BMW headquarters, which mimics the shape of four cylinder heads. There you can also tour one of the assembly plants of Bavaria's iconic car maker.

Neuhausen-Nymphenburg (Neuhausen-Nymphenburg)One of the more relaxing districts, where the atmosphere causes residents and visitors alike to forget they are in a city of over a million. Take trams 12, 16 ,or 17 and get out at Romanplatz, or get out at Rotkreuzplatz and relax in a beer garden, or enjoy some ice cream or a bite to eat at one of the many nearby restaurants. Both of these neighborhoods are virtually undiscovered by tourists even though Neuhausen is home to a popular night club and the world's largest beer garden. What's more astounding is that, while millions of tourists flock to Munich in the summer months and September and October for Oktoberfest, few find their way to the tranquil Schloss Nymphenburg gardens where you can tour Nymphenburg palace or just stroll through the palace gardens.

Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt (Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt)This district consists of two rather different areas Ludwigvorstadt and Isarvorstadt: Ludwigvorstadt is the area just south of Munich's central station. This area has a large immigrant population and is full of small grocery stores offering fresh fruit and vegetables as well as Oriental and Asian specialties. The area may look initially a bit raunchy to visitors due to the presence of a number of adult stores, gambling halls and strip clubs. However, it is perfectly safe and a good bet if you are looking for authentic Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants. Last but not least Theresienwiese, the site of the famous Oktoberfest, is located in the southwest of Ludwigvorstadt. The centerpiece of gorgeous Isarvorstadt is the Gärtnerplatz, a landscaped urban square arranged as a roundabout. The square is home to cafés, bars and the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, one of Munich's prime theater locations. Bordering southwest to Gärtnerplatzviertel is the Glockenbachviertel, which is the most vibrant part of Isarvorstadt, with bars, restaurants, and nightclubs straddling Blumenstraße, Müllerstraße, Hans-Sachs-Strasse and Klenzestrasse. The Glockenbachviertel and the Gärtnerplatzviertel are also the focal point of Munich's gay community, with gay bars and clubs located primarily along Müllerstrasse.

Au-Haidhausen (Au-Haidhausen)The district around the Munich East station (Ostbahnhof) is well-known for its clubbing area Kultfabrik (formerly known as Kunstpark Ost, most locals will be familiar with the old name), where you can party in more than 30 bars, clubs, and discos. Also check out the many bars and restaurants in the Optimolwerke right next door. There are also several quaint side streets in this quarter featuring small houses virtually unchanged in several hundreds of years especially in the beautiful French Quarter around Orleansplatz.

East (Bogenhausen, Berg am Laim, Trudering-Riem, Ramersdorf-Perlach)This area consists mainly of residential areas. The Eastern banks of the river Isar are a recreational area for many residents of Munich. The zoo Hellabrunn is located here and in warm summer nights many bonfires are lit on the Flaucher, sand banks of the Isar. The Bavaria Filmstadt (movie studios and movie-themed entertainment park) is located a bit further south just outside the Munich city borders in the posh celebrity-suburb Grünwald.

Understand

"You do not even go somewhere else, I tell you there's nothing like Munich. Everything else is a waste of time in Germany"— Ernest Hemingway

History

Munich city center in the 17th century

The year 1158 is the earliest date the city is mentioned in a document signed in Augsburg. By that time Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, had built a bridge over the river Isar next to a settlement of Benedictine monks. Almost two decades later in 1175 Munich was officially granted city status and received fortification. In 1180, with the trial of Henry the Lion, Otto I Wittelsbach became Duke of Bavaria and Munich was handed over to the Bishop of Freising. The Wittelsbach dynasty would rule Bavaria until 1918. In 1255, when the Duchy of Bavaria was split in two, Munich became the ducal residence of Upper Bavaria. In the late 15th century Munich underwent a revival of gothic arts: the Old Town Hall was enlarged, and Munich's largest gothic church, the Frauenkirche cathedral, was constructed in only twenty years, starting in 1468.

When Bavaria was reunited in 1506, Munich became its capital. The arts and politics became increasingly influenced by the court and Munich was a center of the German counter reformation as well as of renaissance arts. The Catholic League was founded in Munich in 1609. During the Thirty Years' War Munich became electoral residence, but in 1632 the city was occupied by King Gustav II Adolph of Sweden. When the bubonic plague broke out in 1634 and 1635 about one third of the population died.

Under the regency of the Bavarian electors Munich was an important center of baroque life. In 1806, the city became the capital of the newly established Kingdom of Bavaria, with the state's parliament and the new archdiocese of Munich and Freising being located in the city. Twenty years later Landshut University was moved to Munich. Many of the city's finest buildings belong to this period and were built under the first three Bavarian kings. These years were marked by tremendous artistic and cultural activity in Munich. The most famous of the Bavarian kings was Ludwig II who is often referred to as the Fairy Tales King and sometimes as Mad King Ludwig. He commissioned the construction of two extravagant palaces and a castle, the most famous being Neuschwanstein, and was a generous patron of opera composer Richard Wagner. Ludwig was deposed on grounds of mental incapacity without any medical examination and died shortly thereafter under mysterious circumstances in Lake Starnberg.

Royal regalia of Bavaria exhibited in the Residenz

After World War I, the city was at the center of much political unrest. In November 1918 on the eve of revolution, the royal family fled the city. After the murder of the first republican premier of Bavaria in February 1919, the Bavarian Soviet Republic was proclaimed, but it was put down on 3 May 1919 by conservative troops. While the republican government had been restored, Munich subsequently became a hotbed of extremist politics, from among which Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists rose to prominence. On 8 Nov 1923 Hitler and his supporters, who were then concentrated in Munich, launched the so called "Beer Hall Putsch" from the Bürgerbräukeller, in an attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic and seize power. The revolt failed, resulting in Hitler's arrest and the temporary crippling of the Nazi Party, which at that time was virtually unknown.

The city once again became a Nazi stronghold when the National Socialists took power in Germany in 1933. The National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) created the first concentration camp at Dachau, 16 km (10 mi) north-west of the city. Because of its importance to the rise of National Socialism, Munich was referred to as the "Capital of the Movement" (Hauptstadt der Bewegung). Munich was also the base of the White Rose, a student resistance movement from June 1942 to February 1943. However, the core members including Hans and Sophie Scholl were arrested and executed following a distribution of leaflets at the University of Munich. The city was heavily damaged by allied bombing during World War II.

After US occupation in 1945, Munich was completely rebuilt following a meticulous plan which preserved its pre-war street grid. In 1957 Munich's population passed the 1 million mark. Munich was the site of the 1972 Summer Olympics, during which Israeli athletes were assassinated by Palestinian terrorists during the so called Munich massacre. The final game of the 1974 FIFA Worldcup took place in Munich and so did the opening game of the 2006 FIFA WorldCup. Today, Munich is Germany's third largest city. Together with Frankfurt it is the most important business city in Germany and it remains one of Europe's most important centers of arts, science, learning and sports.

Economy

BMW headquarters

Munich has the strongest economy of any German city and with the lowest unemployment rate of major German cities it is very prosperous. Seven out of the thirty companies listed in the German blue chip stock market index DAX are headquartered in Munich. This includes luxury car maker BMW, electrical engineering giant Siemens, chip producer Infineon, truck manufacturer MAN, industrial gas specialist Linde, the world's largest insurance company Allianz and the world's largest re-insurer Munich Re.

The Munich region is also a center for aerospace, biotechnology, software and service industries. It is home to the aircraft engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines, the aerospace and defense giant EADS (headquartered in both Munich and Paris), the injection molding machine manufacturer Krauss-Maffei, the camera and lighting manufacturer Arri, lighting giant Osram, as well as the German and/or European headquarters of many foreign companies like McDonald’s, Microsoft and Intel.

As the largest publishing city in Europe, Munich is home to Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany's largest daily newspapers. Germany's largest public broadcasting network, ARD, its largest commercial network, Pro7-Sat1 Media AG, and the Burda publishing group are also located in and around Munich.

Munich is a leading center for science and research with a long list of Nobel Prize laureates from Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1901 to Theodor Hänsch in 2005. It hosts two world-class research universities (Ludwig Maximilian Universität and the Technische Universität München), several colleges and the headquarters as well as research facilities of both the Max-Planck-Society and the Fraunhofer-Society. Both the European navigation system Galileo's control center and the European Space Agency's Columbus Control Center, which is used to control the Columbus research laboratory of the International Space Station, is located at a large research facility of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) 20 km (12 mi) outside of Munich in Oberpfaffenhofen.

Arts

Museum Brandhorst

The people of Munich do not like their city to be associated only as a city of beer and the Oktoberfest. And indeed, the Bavarian kings transformed Munich into a city of arts and science in the 19th century. Its outstanding position among other German cities may have faded a bit, due to Berlin becoming the German capital again in the 1990s, but Munich still remains Germany's number-one place for art, science and culture.

Munich is internationally known for its collection of ancient, classic and modern art, which can be found in numerous museums throughout the city. Munich's most renowned museums are located in the Kunstareal in Maxvorstadt including the Alte Pinakothek (European paintings from the 13th to 18th century), the Neue Pinakothek (European paintings from classicism to art nouveau), the Pinakothek der Moderne (modern art), Museum Brandhorst (modern art) and Glyptothek (ancient Greek and Roman sculptures).

From the Gothic to the Baroque era, the fine arts were represented in Munich by artists like Erasmus Grasser, Jan Polack, Johann Baptist Straub, Ignaz Günther, Hans Krumpper, Ludwig von Schwanthaler, Cosmas Damian Asam, Egid Quirin Asam, Johann Baptist Zimmermann, Johann Michael Fischer and François de Cuvilliés. Munich had already become an important place for painters like Carl Rottmann, Lovis Corinth, Wilhelm von Kaulbach, Carl Spitzweg, Franz von Lenbach, Franz von Stuck and Wilhelm Leibl when Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group of expressionist artists, was established in Munich in 1911. The city was home to the Blue Rider's painters Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Alexej von Jawlensky, Gabriele Münter, Franz Marc, August Macke and Alfred Kubin.

Inside the Nationaltheater

Munich was also home or host to many famous composers and musicians including Orlando di Lasso, W.A. Mozart, Carl Maria von Weber, Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Max Reger and Carl Orff. With the Munich Biennale founded by Hans Werner Henze, and the A*DEvantgarde festival, the city still contributes to modern music theatre. The Nationaltheater, where several of Richard Wagner's operas had their premieres under the patronage of King Ludwig II, is the home of the world famous Bavarian State Opera and the Bavarian State Orchestra. Next door the modern Residenz Theatre was erected in the building that had housed the Cuvilliés Theatre before World War II. Many operas were staged there, including the premiere of Mozart's "Idomeneo" in 1781. The Gärtnerplatz Theatre is a ballet and musical state theatre while another opera house, the Prinzregententheater, has become the home of the Bavarian Theatre Academy. The modern Gasteig center houses the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. The third orchestra in Munich with international importance is the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, which was named the 6th best orchestra in the world by The Gramophone magazine in 2008. Its primary concert venue is the Herkulessaal in the former city royal residence, the Residenz.

Many prominent literates worked in Munich such as Paul Heyse, Max Halbe, Rainer Maria Rilke and Frank Wedekind. The period immediately before World War I saw economic and cultural prominence for the city. Munich, and especially the districts of Maxvorstadt and Schwabing, became the domicile of many artists and writers. Nobel laureate Thomas Mann, who also lived there, wrote ironically in his novella Gladius Dei about this period, "Munich shone". It remained a center of cultural life during the Weimar era with figures such as Lion Feuchtwanger, Bertolt Brecht and Oskar Maria Graf.

The Bavaria Film Studios were founded in Geiselgasteig in 1919 by the film producer Peter Ostermayr. Alfred Hitchcock made his first film, The Pleasure Garden, in Geiselgasteig in 1925. The studios have been used by numerous famous directors, such as Max Ophüls (Lola Montez, 1954), Stanley Kubrick (Paths of Glory, 1957), John Huston (Freud: The Secret Passion, 1960), Robert Siodmak (L'Affaire Nina B, 1960), Billy Wilder (One, Two, Three, 1961), John Sturges (The Great Escape, 1963), Robert Wise (The Sound of Music, 1965), Mel Stuart (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, (1971), Bob Fosse (Cabaret, 1972), Ingmar Bergman (The Serpent's Egg, 1977), Robert Aldrich (Twilight's Last Gleaming, 1977), Wolfgang Petersen (Enemy Mine, 1985), Claude Chabrol and Wim Wenders. Other famous movies shot at the studios are Das Boot (1981), The Neverending Story (1984) and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006).

Sports

Allianz Arena - home stadium of FC Bayern München

Munich is home to Germany's most successful and most famous football club, FC Bayern München. The team has won the German championship a record 23 times and the German football cup a record 15 times. It has also won the UEFA Champions League / European Cup 5 times in 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001 and 2013. Munich's second football club of national importance is TSV 1860 München, which currently plays in the second league.

Beyond Football both basketball and hockey are popular in Munich. FC Bayern München's basketball team represents Munich in Germany's basketball league and EHC Red Bull München has been playing since 2010 in Germany's top ice hockey league.

Munich has also hosted several international sport events including the 1972 Olympics Games. Munich was one of the host cities of the 1974 FIFI Worldcup and the final, which was won by the German team, was held at the Munich Olympic Stadium. Munich was again one of the host cities at the 2006 FIFA Worldcup. This time the opening match and 5 additional matches including one of the semi-finals were played at the new Allianz Arena.

Quality of life

Beer garden inside the Englischer Garten

Munich can be consistently found in the top tier of quality-of-life-rankings of world cities. Monocle magazine even named it the world's most livable city in 2010. When Germans are polled about where they would like to live, Munich finds its way consistently at the top of the list. Within proximity of the Alps and some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe, it is not surprising that everyone wants to live here. Add to its benefits the beautiful architecture, especially Baroque and Rococo, green countryside which starts a mere half hour away on the S-Bahn, a beautiful park called Englischer Garten, the two best universities in Germany, a booming economy with global headquarters of many world-class companies, modern infrastructure, extremely low crime and the greatest beer culture on the planet - could there be anything wrong with Munich? Well, there is a price to pay for living in a city where everyone else wants to be: Munich is the most expensive city in Germany with real estate prices and rents far above those in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne or Frankfurt.

People and Language

Bavaria has been the longtime antipode of Berlin: while the protestant Prussian kings focused their energy and resources on building military strength, the catholic Wittelsbacher were more interested in creating a center of arts and science following the examples of cities in northern Italy. And even today, Bavaria takes a unique position among the German states with a strong emphasis on its independence, e.g. Bavaria calls itself Freistaat (free state) and has its own conservative party, the CSU, which strongly advocates Bavarian interests in Berlin. Bavaria's transition from an agricultural society to Germany's most successful high-tech state as well as the dominance of Bayern München in German soccer has further increased the pride of its residents in their state and its traditions and dialect (to a degree considered arrogance by some non-Bavarians).

The residents of Munich, the capital of Bavaria, share a lot of characteristics with the rest of Bavaria and indeed it became popular again among older and younger people to wear traditional Bavarian clothing at least during the Oktoberfest. However, the influx of people from the rest of Germany and abroad has also led to some differences. While the rest of Bavaria is a stronghold of conservatism, Munich has been governed by a liberal coalition of Social-Democrats, Greens and the Rosa Liste (a gay rights party) and only 36.2% of residents are members of the catholic church while 13.3% are protestant, 0.3% Jewish and 50.3% are members of other religions including Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism or undenominated.

A stereotypical group strongly associated by many Germans with Munich is the Schwabing Schickeria, characterized by their obsession for social status, luxury brands, expensive restaurants and champagne. The Schickeria has been the subject of 1980s TV Shows Kir Royal and Monaco Franze as well as the movie Rossini – oder die mörderische Frage, wer mit wem schlief. Of course, not all people living in Munich belong to the Schickeria. In fact, most of the people are quite normal.

The official language in Munich is, of course, German. With many Munich residents coming from other German regions or from abroad, "Standard German" dominates as spoken language in Munich. Nevertheless, some residents will speak with a more or less strong Bavarian dialect, which can deviate substantially from the standard German. Munich attracts many international tourists and has a large community of non-German speaking professionals working in international companies, universities, research institutions or at the European Patentoffice. Hence, it is not surprising that English is widely spoken and understood throughout the city in restaurants, cafes, tourist attractions, shops as well as by ordinary citizens. The exception are some of Munich's city administration offices where non-English speaking Germans seem to have found a last refuge from globalization.

Climate

Munich has a continental climate, strongly modified by the proximity of the Alps. The city's altitude and proximity to the northern edge of the Alps mean that precipitation is high. Rainstorms can come violently and unexpectedly.

Winters last from December to March. Munich experiences cold winters, but heavy rainfall is rarely seen in the winter. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of −2°C (28 °F). Snow cover is seen for at least a couple of weeks during winter. Summers in Munich city are warm and pleasant with an average maximum of 23°C (73°F) in the hottest months. The summers last from May until September.

An oddity of Munich is the Föhn, a warm downwind from the Alps can raise temperatures sharply within a few hours, even in winter. These winds are sometimes associated with illnesses ranging from migraines to psychosis. The first clinical review of these effects was published by the Austrian physician, Anton Czermak in the 19th century. Residents of Munich sometimes use the Föhn as an excuse for having a bad mood, which should not be taken too seriously.

Get in

By plane

Munich International Airport

Munich International Airport

Munich International Airport [2] (IATA: MUC; ICAO: EDDM) is the second busiest airport in Germany ranks seventh in Europe, handling 38 million passengers per year. Munich airport, which has been named for former Bavarian prime minister Franz Josef Strauß, is a major hub for Lufthansa [3] and the Star Alliance.

Munich International Airport is located 30 km (18 mi) north-east of Munich, close to the city Freising. Originally, the airport was closer to the city center in Riem. However, in 1992 it was moved to its current location to meet the demand for more capacity and modern facilities. Due to the constantly increasing number of flights, the airport has continued to expand since then and now offers connections to most airports in Germany and Europe, as well as many intercontinental destinations. Intercontinental destinations include Abu Dhabi, Atlanta, Bangkok, Beijing, Boston, Cairo, Charlotte, Chicago, Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Montréal, Mumbai, Muscat, New York, Osaka, Philadelphia, Riyadh, San Francisco, São Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Washington and many others.

In 2011, Munich Airport has been named the winner of the "Best Airport in Europe" award for the third year in a row based on an worldwide survey of close to eight million passengers. Passengers also ranked Munich #4 in the global rankings behind three Asian hubs.

Terminal 1

All airlines, which are not members of the Star Alliance, including the second largest German carrier Air Berlin [4], are based in Terminal 1. It is segmented into five modules A, B, C, D, E and F. Module F is used for high risk flights only - right now those are only flights to and from Israel. The Terminal has multiple levels: The train station is on level 2; the passenger transport system, which connects the modules, is on level 3; check-in counters, security checkpoints, arrival areas, customs and most restaurants are on level 4 (ground floor); level 5 is used by passengers with connecting flights.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 hosts Lufthansa and its Star Alliance [5] partners, e.g. Air Canada, Air China, All Nippon Airways, Egypt Air, SAS, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Swiss, Thai, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways. It is also used by additional Lufthansa partners such as Qatar Airways, PrivatAir and some regional partner airlines. Terminal 2 consists of the central plaza, Pier North, and Pier South. Terminal 2 also has multiple levels: The arrival area and some check-in counters (e.g. United and Turkish) are on level 3; all other check-in counters, the security check-points and duty-free shops are on level 4; the visitor deck as well as restaurants and art exhibitions can be found on level 5.

Munich Airport Center

The Munich Aiport Center (MAC) is a recreation and service center at the aiport located between terminals 1 and 2. It includes a shopping mall, restaurants, a medical center, the conference center municon and the MAC-Forum. The MAC-Forum is Europe's largest roofed outdoor-area, which is used for various events like a christmas fair and ice-skating in winter and a beach volleyball tournament in summer. Located next to the Munich Airport Center is the Kempinski Hotel Airport Munich [6].

Get in and out

The airport connects to central Munich by suburban train (S-Bahn) on the S1 and S8 line. The S1 runs to Munich Central Station via the northern and western districts of Munich, while the S8 serves the eastern districts before arriving at Munich Central Station.

The journey in 2013 costs €10.40 for a single ticket, €11.20 for a day pass, or €20.40 for a partner ticket (valid for up to five people). Trains run every 5-20 min and take about 40 min to reach the central station. For more information see the get around section. A slightly cheaper option is to buy a Tageskarte Außenraum (daypass for the city's outskirts; single: €5.80, partner: €10.60) and then an additional single ticket (€2.60 per person) for the trip into the inner city. If traveling from the airport, the latter ticket only has to be validated in Feldmoching station, which means that you can only travel using the S1 train. You’ll have to exit (or change for the subway train) in Feldmoching. If traveling from downtown to the airport, you can just validate both tickets and the restriction does not apply anymore.

Lufthansa also runs an Airport Bus [7] to and from Munich Central Station that is comparably priced.

Memmingen Airport

Memmingen Airport (IATA: FMM, ICAO: EDJA)) is located around 110 km (70 mi)to the west of Munich. Nevertheless, it is marketed as "Munich West" by Ryanair. However, the official name is "Allgäu Airport Memmingen". There are shuttle buses connecting the airport with Munich [8] with timetables aligned to Ryanair's flight schedule. One way tickets are €20 or €15 if pre-booked via Internet. The buses arrive at and leave from Munich's Central Bus Station at Hackerbrücke, which is located next to Munich Central Station. Be aware that the bus ride from Memmingen Airport to Munich takes about 1 hr 25 min!

By train

Map of Munich Central Station

Munich Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) [9] is conveniently located in the centre of Munich. The main station is west of Marienplatz (two S-Bahn stations) and only a short walk away from the city centre. It is well connected to Munich's dense public transport network. The main station has a traveler-friendly infrastructure including several restaurants, shops, a supermarket (that is open on Sundays, too), a tourist bureau, and a Deutsche Bahn ticket and travel agency office.

Deutsche Bahn [10] uses Munich as one of its main German hubs and offers regional and long-distance connections to many German cities. This includes several connections with ICE high-speed trains:

Munich has also a high-speed TGV-connection with Paris and Strasbourg [11] as well as Eurocity and CityNightLine (night train) connections with Amsterdam, Budapest, Innsbruck, Maribor, Milan, Rome, Salzburg, Venice, Verona, Vienna, Zurich and other international cities.

Two additional railway stations are located in the west (Munich Pasing) and the east (Munich East) of Munich. Both stations are connected to the public transport system and serve as transport hubs for Deutsche Bahn's regional and long-distance trains.

By car

Munich Autobahn system

Munich is well connected with other cities in Germany and Austria by the German autobahn network.

A 8 connects Munich with Augsburg, Ulm, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe in the west and Rosenheim and Salzburg in the south-east

A 9 leads to Ingolstadt, Nürnberg, Leipzig and Berlin in the north

A 92 connects Munich with Landshut and Deggendorf in the north-east

A 94 has only been partially completed so far and will lead to Passau in the east

A 95 connects Munich with Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Bavarian Alps in the south

A 96 connects Munich with Lindau at Lake Constance in the south-west

The A 99 is an autobahn ring around the city which connects the various autobahns. Munich has two inner ring roads in addition to the A 99: Mittlerer Ring expressway and the Altstadtring.

Traffic in Munich can be a challenge at peak times. Therefore, and especially because of the shortage of parking within the city center and the more central districts, it is recommended to leave the car in a park & ride car park (see the Get around section) in Munich's outskirts close to a S-Bahn station and use public transportation within the city.

By bus

An inexpensive and surprisingly comfortable possibility to travel to Munich, especially from Eastern Europe and the Balkans, are long-haul buses. See the schedule of Munich's Central Bus Station ZOB[12] for details and destinations.

Get around

By public transportation

Munich underground train (U-Bahn)

S-Bahn logo

U-Bahn logo

Tram logo

Bus logo

The best way to travel around Munich - without using your own feet - is the public transportation system consisting of suburban trains (S-Bahn), underground trains (U-Bahn), streetcars (Tram), and buses. There is only one ticket system, called MVV, which means you can use all modes of transportation with the same ticket. You can get individual, group, daily, weekly and monthly tickets. The underground stations, i.e. U-Bahn, are marked with a white capital "U" on blue quadratic ground. The suburban train stations, i.e. S-Bahn, are marked with a white "S" on green circular ground. All S-Bahn lines traverse the city in a single tunnel (Stammstrecke) between stations Donnersbergerbrücke and Ostbahnhof.

The Munich MVV website [13] includes maps of the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Tram and bus network, maps of the park & ride car parks, pricing information as well as timetables and a journey planner. The official MVV network map [14] is available at most stations and absolutely indispensable.

Single trips in a single zone such as the city center cost €2.60, but the four-zone journey from the airport is a whopping €10.40. Thus, if you arrive at the airport and intend to explore Munich by the public transport system, the best option is to buy a €11.20 Gesamtnetz (whole network) day ticket. If you are not traveling alone, then you can purchase a Partner (group) day ticket for €20.40, allowing up to 5 adults to travel together on all lines of the MVV system.

A day ticket is worth buying if you plan to take more than two trips on the same day. It is available for single persons and groups for up to 5 people and is valid until 06:00 the next morning. The day ticket is available for four areas:

Area

Zone

one way

Day-Ticket

Group

Note

Inner district (Innenraum)

White

€2.60

€5.80

€10.60

Enough to explore the city

Inner district (Innenraum) 3 Day card

White

-

€14.30

€24.60

Outer district (Außenraum)

Green, yellow, red

€2.60

€5.80

€10.60

Does not cover city center

Munich XXL (München XXL)

White and green

€ 5.20

€7.80

€13.60

Good for trips to the lakes and suburban destinations

Entire network (Gesamtnetz)

All

€ 10.00

€11.20

€20.40

Allows travel to/from airport

If you are staying longer than 3 days in Munich, a good option is to buy a weekly ticket. The weekly ticket is valid from Monday to Monday. The price of the weekly ticket depends on the number of rings you want to travel during the week (starting from the center of the city). Almost all U-Bahn stations are within the rings 1-4.

For only a few journeys on different days the stripe ticket (Streifenkarte), with 10 strips, is a better value than buying lots of individual tickets. The cost is €12.50, and may be purchased at dispensing machines at every station. You need to use two strips for each colored zone on the map. If you are making several trips a day, the day ticket is a better option. Children and people under the age of 21 only have to use half the number of stripes.

If you plan to explore Munich and see all the sights and tourist attractions, buy the Munich CityTourCard [15]. It is a ticket valid for all public transportation services in Munich and a discount card for many tourist attractions like museums, sights, shopping, and gastronomy. It is available in six versions (single and group tickets) and with validity for one or three days:

Area

Zone

Period

Single

Group

Inner district (Innenraum)

White

1 day

€9.90

€16.90

Inner district (Innenraum)

White

3 days

€19.90

€29.90

Entire system (Gesamtnetz)

White, green, yellow, red

3 days

€31.50

€51.50

A leaflet with information about the discount offers of the partners and a map of the city center and a plan of the public transportation network are included. The ticket is available at ticket vending machines at all S-Bahn, U-Bahn, Tram and bus stations. Furthermore it can be purchased at the MVG customer center as well as in selected hotels and online.

All tickets, except for weekly tickets must be stamped to be valid; without a stamp the ticket is invalid and you can be fined €40. Stamping machines (Entwerter) - a blue machine with a black "E" on yellow ground - are found at every entrance to the S-Bahn or U-Bahn platforms, and inside buses and trams. In most other German cities, passengers can validate tickets on the train; however, this is not the case in Munich, so be sure to validate your ticket before entering any U-Bahn or S-Bahn platform.

Public transportation operates with limited service from 02:00 to 05:00. The U-Bahn does not operate at all during this time, and trams and some buses operate only in one hour intervals from Sunday to Thursday and on 30 min intervals on the weekend. On Friday, Saturday and nights before public holidays, there is a single S-Bahn on each line between 02:30 and 03:00. So if you're staying out late, try to get the schedule of the so called Nachttram (night tram) in advance or do not leave the place before 05:00 unless you want to take a taxi.

If you plan to explore Munich and Bavaria via regional trains, consider getting a Bayern Ticket[16], which is good on all regional trains within Bavaria, all Munich MVV transportation, and trains to Salzburg for €22 a day (plus €4 for each additional person for up to 5 people in total). The Bayern Ticket is good on any weekday after 09:00 and on any weekend day (all day). There is also a Bayern Ticket Nacht for night trips, valid from 18:00 to 06:00, for a discounted price.

If you travel on a weekend, exploring Munich and taking a regional Deutsche Bahn trains to another city anywhere in Germany on the same day, consider getting a Deutsche Bahn Schönes Wochenende Ticket. This ticket covers all DB regional train travels and all Munich S-Bahn travels for up to five people for a single weekend day for €40.

Schönes-Wochenende-Tickets and Bayern-Tickets are only valid on the red regional trains, but not on white Intercity Express (ICE) and white Intercity/Eurocity trains (IC/EC). Additionally, both tickets are valid on trains run by the BOB (Bayerische Oberlandbahn) and ALEX (Arriva-Länderbahn-Express).

By bike

With over 200 km (125 mi) of bike trails, one of the very best ways to explore the city is on a bicycle. Guided tours, or for the independent-minded, rentals and maps are available at Munich Cebtral Station (Hauptbahnhof) and many other places throughout the city.

Bikes can also be rented by the Call-A-Bike system, which is run by Deutsche Bahn. You need to call a number listed on the bikes from your mobile phone and register with the callabike.de website in order to use them. The service is convenient, as you just spot an available bike throughout the city and just leave it at your destination. However, this is not an economical alternative if you are planning many trips in a single day. In that case, it is better to get a day or multiday rental from one of the rental services located throughout central Munich.

Mike's Bike Tour [17], located near the Hofbräuhaus, offers historical tours of the city.

Discover Munich [18] offers bike tours around Munich's old town and the English Garden.

Munich is generally a bike-friendly city with many designated bike paths (especially along Isar river, in the parks and even in the city center). However, rates of accidents involving bicycles are rising in Munich. Hence, the police enforces traffic rules for cyclists more rigorous, especially at the beginning of the bike season in spring. Fines range from €10 for driving without light in the dark to €100 for ignoring red traffic lights. Drunk cycling (>0.16% of blood alcohol level) can result in much heftier fines and even in detention. Helmets are not required for cyclists, but they are recommended.

By taxi

German taxi cabs

Like almost everywhere in Germany, Munich taxis can easily be recognized by their beige color and the yellow-black taxi sign on the roof. Taxis can be found at taxi stands throughout the city, at train stations, and at the airport. It is also possible to stop a taxi (if it is not occupied) or to call one of the many taxi companies in Munich.
The basic fare is €3.30 with additional €1.70/km for up to 5 km, €1.50/km for kilometers 5 to 10, and €1.30 for every kilometer more than 10. Waiting time per hour is €24 and there are additional charges for pets (€0.60 per animal) and luggage (€0.60 per piece).

By car

It is generally a bad idea to explore Munich by car. Traffic is heavy especially during rush hour. Munich has three ring roads, the autobahn A 99, the Mittlerer Ring urban eypressway and the Altstadtring, which can be used in order to avoid getting stuck in inner city traffic. During rush hours these rings are, however, often congested too. Parking in the central districts inside the Mittlerer Ring tends to be close to impossible. Moreover, many landmarks and areas of touristic interest are located in the inner city which is mostly closed for car traffic. Here parking space is particularly scarce and expensive.

Driving may be an option for visiting some of the attractions in suburban Munich like the Bavaria Film Studios or for making day trips to cities and lakes outside of Munich.

Don't forget to fit your car with a green coloured Umweltplakette (ECO Vignette). You will need it to be allowed to drive in most areas of the city (the whole area within Mittlerer Ring).

Car sharing has recently gained popularity in Munich and may be an option for visitors staying more than a few weeks. There are various providers such as Drive-Now, ZebraMobil, Flinkster and others, which have shared cars distributed across the city. Typically, you will have to sign-up online for the programs. Afterwards you will receive a coded card and a personal identification number, which you need to access and start the car. Pricing varies between the car sharing companies and should be researched on the company websites.

Parking

Prices for parking on streets range from €1 to €2.50 per hour usually from 08:00 to 23:00. There may be additional restrictions, e.g. for the maximum duration. Throughout the city center there are "blue zones". Wherever you find blue lines on the ground, you can park your car for a maximum time of 2 hours (hourly rate €2.50). Those familiar with the parking system in Italy will easily understand the Munich system. The meaning of other colours is as follows:

dotted blue line - space for disabled drivers. You will need a special card in your car, which indicates that you are allowed to park in those areas

yellow line - reserved for taxis, do not park here

red line - do never park here, not even for a short time, since it is strictly forbidden and may likely result in towing your car

orange line - this is reserved for deliveries, do not park here.

The best options are public parking decks which are widely available in the center. However it can take some time to find a free parking spot. Parking garages are indicated with blue rectangular signs with a capital white "P" on it. Usually a green sign indicates that there are free spots while a red sign indicates that the car park is full. The city has a car park routing system which shows you where you can find a parking slot. Rates are:

from €2 to €6 per hour (most will charge around €3 per hour)

from €8 to €30 per day (most will charge between €15 and €20 per day)

some may even offer monthly rates (expect €100 per month minimum)

Towing

The police may tow your car away if it obstructs the traffic or endangers other people. Watch out for fire brigage access roads which are marked with small signs reading "Feuerwehrzufahrt". There is no stopping and standing - parking will result in immediate towing.

If your car has been towed away contact the next available police station. There is a central place where all towed cars will be brought to (Thomas-Hauser-Straße 19, open 24/7; S2/S4 to station Berg am Laim, Bus 146 to Iltisstraße until stop "Thomas-Hauser-Straße", 5 min to walk from there). You need to show your passport or other ID, drivers licence and registration document and you have to pay the fine. Fines vary, expect around €150.

A constant harassment are private towing companies which guard private parking spaces. Their prices can easily double or triple the police's fines.

See

Munich offers visitors many sights and attractions. There is something for everyone, no matter if you are seeking arts and culture, shopping, fine dining, nightlife, sport events or Bavarian beer hall atmosphere. The listings in this section are just some highlights of things that you should see if you are visiting Munich. The complete listings are found on individual district pages.

Royal Avenues and Squares

Four grand royal avenues of the 19th century with magnificent architecture run through Munich's inner city.

Briennerstraße starts at the magnificent Odeonsplatz (where you can find Feldherrnhalle, Theatinerkirche and the Residenz) on the northern fringe of Altstadt and runs from east to west past Wittelsbacherplatz with the statue of Maximilian I and Karolinenplatz with a black obelisk built in 1833 by Leo von Klenze in honor of the Bavarian Army to Koenigsplatz designed with the Doric Propyläen, the Ionic Glyptothek and the Corinthian State Museum of Classical Art. The eastern section of Briennerstraße is lined with upscale shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants. It is dominated by neo-classical buildings such as the Alfons-Palais at Wittelsbacherplatz, which today serves as global headquarters of Siemens AG.

Ludwigstraße also starts at Odeonsplatz, but runs from south to north connecting the inner city with Schwabing. It is lined by buildings of Italian renaissance designed by Leo von Klenze and Italian romanesque architecture designed by Friedrich von Gärtner, e.g. St. Ludwig Church and the main buildings of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität. Ludwigstrasse ends at the Siegestor, a triumphal arch crowned with a statue of Bavaria with a lion-quadriga, after which it turns into Leopoldstrasse.

Maximilianstraße starts at Max-Joseph-Platz, where the Residenz and the National Theater are located, and runs from west to east crossing the river Isar before ending at the Maximilianeum, the Bavarian state parliament. The avenue is framed by mostly neo-Gothic buildings influenced by the English Perpendicular style. The western section of Maximilianstraße forms with Residenzstraße Munich's most upscale shopping area and is home to flagship stores of luxury labels, upscale retailers and one of Munich's most luxurious hotels, the Vier Jahreszeiten.

Prinzregentenstraße runs parallel to Maximilianstraße beginning at Prinz-Carl-Palais. Several museums can be found along the avenue, such as the Haus der Kunst, the Bavarian National Museum and the Schackgalerie. The avenue crosses the Isar and circles the Friedensengel monument passing the Villa Stuck. Prinzregentenstraße also forms a southern border of the Englischer Garten where you can watch surfers riding a standing water wave at the Eisbach creek.

Palaces and Castles

A view of Schloss Nymphenburg from the palace gardens.

Schloss Nymphenburg[19] in Neuhausen & Nymphenburg is a baroque palace which served as summer residence of the Bavarian kings. The palace was commissioned by the prince-electoral couple Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy to the designs of the Italian architect Agostino Barelli in 1664. Joseph Effner redesigned the facade of the center pavilion in French baroque style in 1716. In 1826 Leo von Klenze removed its gables with the electoral coat of arms and created an attic decoration directly under the roof instead. The palace is surrounded by a spendid 200-hectare (490-acre) park. The palace is open to the public and also houses several museums such as the Marstallmuseum, the Porzellanmuseum München, the Museum Mensch und Natur and the Erwin von Kreibig-Museum.

Residenz[20] is in the City Center, between Odeonsplatz and Max-Joseph-Platz. Built in 1385, the Residenz was originally a small moated castle, and was gradually expanded by the Wittelsbach rulers who used it until 1918 as their residence and seat of government. The Residenz consists of three parts the Königsbau, the Alte Residenz and the Festsaalbau. A wing of the Festsaalbau contains the Cuvilliés Theatre since the reconstruction of the Residenz after World War II. It also houses the Herkulessaal (Hercules Hall), the primary concert venue for the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Highlights of the Residenz are the Renaissance Antiquarium, the Baroque Ancestral Gallery and the royal regalia of Bavaria inside the treasury.

Schloss Schleißheim[21] — just outside of Munich, can be reached by taking the S1 S-Bahn to Oberschleißheim. The palace is a jewel of Baroque architechture. Built during the reign of Elector Max Emanuel, it was intended as a royal residence, though the Elector himself was forced into exile and never lived here. Building work begun in 1701 by Zuccalli and continued between 1719-26 by Joseph Effner. French architectural features are evident in the facade and the most impressive rooms are the Große Saal, the Viktoriensaal and the Große Galerie. Worth noting is a terrific 980-seat beer garden, Schlosswirtschaft Oberschleissheim, literally on the palace grounds.

Schloss Dachau[22] — also outside of Munich. The castle was constructed around 1100 as a castle by the cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach, but demolished between 1398 and 1403. William IV of Bavaria and his son Albert V ordered the construction of a Renaissance style four-wing palace with a court garden on the site of the old castle. The new building was designed by Heinrich Schöttl; construction began in 1546 and was completed in 1577. It later became the favoured residence of the rulers of Bavaria. In 1715, Maximilian II Emanuel commissioned a redesign in Baroque style by Joseph Effner.

Churches

Ohel Jakob Synagogue

Frauenkirche (full name "Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau") is a major landmark and dominates with its 99 meter high twin towers the skyline of the Bavarian capital. It was built between 1468 to 1494 by Jörg von Halsbach and today it serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop. The cathedral can hold approximately 20,000 people, and Catholic Mass is held regularly. The interior of the cathedral, which is among the largest hall churches in southern Germany, consists of the nave and two side aisles. The arches were designed by Heinrich von Straubing. Much of the interior was destroyed during WWII. An attraction that survived is the Teufelsschritt, or Devil's Footstep, at the entrance. This is a black mark resembling a footprint, which according to legend was where the devil stood when he curiously regarded and ridiculed the 'windowless' church that Halsbach had built.

Theatinerkirche, located at Odeonsplatz, was built in Italian high-Baroque style from 1663 to 1690, inspired by Sant'Andrea della Valle in Rome, designed by the Italian architect Agostino Barelli. His successor, Enrico Zuccalli, added two towers, originally not planned, and then finished the 71 meter high dome in 1690. The facade in Rococo style was completed only in 1768 by François de Cuvilliés. It was founded by Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, as a gesture of thanks for the birth of the long-awaited heir to the Bavarian crown, Prince Max Emanuel, in 1662. The interior has a rich stucco decoration and the altars house paintings of Caspar de Crayer, Carlo Cignani, George Desmareés and Joachim Sandrart.

Peterskirche close to Marienplatz is the oldest church of the Munich inner city. It was first built during the Romanesque period, and was the focus of the early monastic settlement in Munich before the city's official foundation in 1158. Its tower is commonly known as "Alter Peter" from which one has a great view of Munich.

Michaeliskirche or "St Michael" is a Jesuit church at the corner Neuhauser Strasse and Ettstrasse. It is the largest Renaissance church north of the Alps. The style of the building had an enormous influence on Southern German early Baroque architecture. The church was built by William V, Duke of Bavaria between 1583 and 1597 as a spiritual center for the Counter Reformation. The foundation stone was laid in 1585. The crypt contains among others the tombs of several members of the Wittelsbach dynasty including fairy tale king Ludwig II.

Asamkirche on Sendlinger Straße was built from 1733 to 1746 by the brothers Egid Quirin Asam and Cosmas Damian Asam as their private church. Due to resistance of the citizens, the brothers were forced to make the church accessible to the public. It is one of the most important examples of late Baroque architecture in South Germany.

New Jewish Center in the city center was finished in 2006 and consists of the the Ohel Jakob Synagogue, the Jewish Museum and a Cultural Center. The spectacular synagogue was designed by architects Rena Wandel-Hoefer and Wolfgang Lorch. It is a cubic structure of travertine stone topped by a glass cube. The glass roof represents a tent (or Ohel), symbolizing Moses' 40-year-journey through the desert. The main portal was manufactured in Budapest and features Hebrew letters depicting the 10 commandments.

Buildings and Landmarks

Maximilianeum - the Bavaria State Parliament

Neues Rathaus at the northern end of Marienplatz hosts the city government including the city council, offices of the mayors and part of the administration. It was built between 1867 and 1908 by Georg von Hauberrisser in a Gothic Revival architecture style. It covers an area of 9159 m² having 400 rooms. The basement is almost completely occupied by a large restaurant called Ratskeller. On the ground floor, some rooms are rented for small businesses. Also located in the ground floor is the major official tourist information. The first floor hosts a big balcony towards the Marienplatz which is used for large festivals such as football championships or for concerts during the Weihnachtsmarkt. Its main tower has a height of 85 m and is open for visitors. The Rathaus-Glockenspiel, performed by an apparatus daily on 11am, 12pm and 5pm, is a major tourist attraction.

Altes Rathaus at the eastern end of Marienplatz was until 1874 the domicile of the municipality and serves today as a building for the city council in Munich. The Old Town Hall bounds Marienplatz on its east side. The Grand Hall was the venue for the speech of Joseph Goebbels on November 9, 1938 which is known as the prelude for the Kristallnacht.

Maximilianeum, which located at the eastern end of Maximilianstrasse, is a palatial building, which was built from 1857 to 1874 as the home for a gifted students' foundation. It has housed the Bayrischer Landtag (the Bavarian state parliament) since 1949.

Hofbräuhaus am Platzl in Atlstadt/Lehel with the full name Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München. Many visitors associate Munich foremost with its beer culture, which is epidomized in this world-famous beer hall. It is owned by state-owned Hofbräu brewery and provides space for around 2500 guest in the large beer hall on the ground floor and additional rooms on the upper floors and in its beer garden. On the ground floor, regulars can have their own beer steins locked into cabinets. However, one should not expect to meet too many locals at this major tourist spot.

Feldherrnhalle is a monumental loggia at Odeonsplatz. It was built between 1841 and 1844 at the southern end of Munich's Ludwigstrasse at Odeonsplatz. Friedrich von Gärtner built the Feldherrnhalle on request of King Ludwig I after the example of the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence. The Feldherrnhalle was a symbol of the honors of the Bavarian Army. It contains statues of Bavarian military leaders Johann Tilly and Karl Philipp von Wrede.

Siegestor is a three-arched triumphal arch crowned with a statue of Bavaria with a lion-quadriga at the northern end of Ludwigstrasse. The gate was commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria in dedication to the glory of the Bavarian army. It was designed by Friedrich von Gärtner and completed by Eduard Mezger in 1852. It was damaged heavily in World War II and reconstructed only partially. The inscription on the back side reads "Dem Sieg geweiht, vom Krieg zerstört, zum Frieden mahnend" which translates as "Dedicated to victory, destroyed by war, reminding of peace".

Statue of the Bavaria is a nearly 20 m high statue, standing on the west border of Theriesienwiese next to the Hall of Fame overlooking the site of the Oktoberfest. It is a female personification of the Bavarian homeland, and by extension its strength and glory. The Ruhmeshalle (literally hall of fame) is a Doric colonnade with a main range and two wings which houses sculptures of famous Bavarians. There is a small viewing platform inside the head of the statue.

Museums and Galleries

Design exhibition in the Pinakothek der Moderne

Bavarias kings have transformed Munich into Germany's art capital in the 1800s and it is still home to world class collections and museums. The Kunstareal [23] in Maxvorstadt includes 16 museums, 40 galleries and 7 art schools. The most famous of these museums are

Lenbach Haus[25] — reopened recently after renovation. It's most famous works of the "Blauer Reiter" school are loaned out to changing cities. The nearby "Kunstbau" within the Königsplatz subway station is part of the Lenbach Haus and contains changing exhibitions.

Museum Brandhorst[26] — Most recent addition to Munich's museum district; a collection of modern and contemporary art (paintings, sculptures and installations) by Udo and Anette Brandhorst.

Pinakotheken[27] — These are three very impressive art museums. The Alte Pinakothek features 15-18th century religious paintings, the Neue Pinakothek 19-20th century Impressionist and Expressionist art and the Pinakothek der Moderne has 20th century paintings, modern art, design and architecture sections.

Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst (State Museum for Egyptian Art) [28] — A museum for the Bavarian state's antique collections of Egyptian art just north of Karolinenplatz. Other items of the collection can be found at another location in the Residenz.

Staatliche Antikensammlungen (State Collections of Antiques) [29] — A museum for the Bavarian state's antique collections of Greek, Etruscan and Roman art housed in a Corinthian building at Königsplatz just across from the Glyptothek.

In addition, other great museums devoted to art and culture can be found throughout the city of Munich. These include the following examples:

The Villa Stuck, showcasing a private collection of Jugendstil art.

City Museum of Munich[30] — Offers a fascinating insight into the diverse history of Munich. Houses eye-opening displays of war torn Munich as well as an excellent musical instruments museum and puppetry museum (both of which stand as exemplary collections on their own!). Seasonal exhibitions are also usually worthwhile.

German Theatre Museum — Founded around 100 years ago, the German Theatre Museum is full of memorabilia and offers an insight into the development of German Theatre.

Jewish Museum[32] — Newly opened museum at St. Jakobsplatz with one permanent exhibition which illuminates aspects of Jewish history and culture in Munich, and a range of changing exhibitions.

National Bavarian Museum[33] — One of the most important cultural history museums in Europe, housing a large collection of European artifacts from the Middle Ages until early 20th century. There's a wide range of important antiques here, from medieval armor to pottery, from furniture to porcelain, and seasonally displaying the world's largest collection of nativity scene sets.

National Museum of Egyptian Art[34] — A museum for the Bavarian state's antique collections of Egyptian art in the Residenz. Other items of the collection can be found at another location at the Kunstareal.

Schack Gallery[35] — A private collection of 19th Century, Late Romantic art. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 10AM to 6PM, and until 8PM on the first and third Weds. of the month. Entrance is €4 for adults, €3 reduced, and just €1 on Sunday.

Treasury in the Munich Residenz[36] — A stunning collection of Bavarian Royal jewels, furniture and art.

Villa Stuck[37] — A collection of Jugendstil art primarily by Franz von Stuck. Interesting seasonal exhibitions as well, all located in a well maintained historical mansion once owned by the artist including period furniture.

Munich is also a global center of research and engineering. Therefore, it is not surprising that the city hosts several museums presenting vast science and technology-related exhibitions:

Aviation section of the Deutsches Museum

BMW Museum[38] — For a BMW enthusiast, this museum is a must see on your itinerary. Exhibitions highlight the history of the famous car maker while the adjecent BMW Welt presents its current products.

Deutsches Museum[39], located in Haidhausen. The Deutsches Museum is probably the largest technical museum in the world. It has a hands-on, interactive section for natural science, engineering, construction, etc. as well as an impressive collection of full-scale aerospace vehicles and cars. Plan lots of time if you want to try and see everything, even the full eight open hours of the day is barely enough to even get around to all the exhibits, much less spend a significant amount of time in them. There is also a major transportation exhibition branch located near Theresienhöhe (above the Oktoberfest grounds), and another one housing the extensive airplane collection in Oberschleißheim near Schloss Schleißheim.

Siemens Forum; It presents the history of electrical engineering and electronics giant Siemens AG at a location designed by New York architect Richard Meier. It also houses the Siemens archives. The museum is currently closed for re-construction.

Most of the Munich museums are closed on Mondays. The Nyphemburg Castle and gardens as well as the Deutsche Museum are the only places open on Mondays. BMW Welt, a state of the art BMW showroom is open for public visit, although the museum itself is closed. Hence, the best way to plan your intinerary is to visit the museums on days other than Monday and use Monday to explore the city. For many museums, Sunday will be the best day to visit since admission is only 1 Euro. This includes the Pinakotheken, Museum Brandhorst, the National Bavarian Museum and the Glyptothek as well as the Staatliche Antikensammlungen.

Parks

Englischer Garten

Englischer Garten[40] located in Schwabing. This is the green heart of Munich and indeed it is larger than New York's central park or London's Hyde Park. Entry is free and it is a wonderful place to relax by enjoying a beer in one of several beer gardens, by strolling along the creeks and lakes or just by enjoying the sun on the lawns. Just drive to "Münchner Freiheit" or "Ostbahnhof" by S- or U-Bahn and take bus number 54 to "Chinesischer Turm". At its southern end an artificial standing wave has been created in the Eisbach Creek where you can watch surfers exhibiting their skills.

Olympic Park

Olympiapark was the site of the 1972 Olympic Games and is one of the rare examples where Olympic infrastructure has been put into use after the end of the games serving as a venue for cultural, social, and religious events. The Olympic Stadium with its innovative roof structure was the home stadium of the FC Bayern München until 2005 when the new Allianz Arena was completed. Today it is primarily used for cultural events like rock concerts and festivals. Other former Olympic venues such as the swimming stadium are open to the public. The Olympic Tower has an overall height of 291 meters with an observation platform and a revolving restaurant that seats 230 people. The park is a popular retreat for Munich residents where they enjoy raking a walk or rowing on the lake.

Tierpark Hellabrunn (The Munich Zoo)[41] is in Thalkirchen— Even if you're not a zoo enthusiast, there is plenty to keep you interested at one of the world's largest zoos. See animals roaming in their natural habitats, take the little ones to the childrens zoo, and look up above in the large aviary. You can visit the zoo daily 8AM to 6PM (in winter 9AM-5PM); admission is €9 ($11) for adults, €6 ($7.20) for students and seniors, 4.50€ ($5.40) for children ages 4 to 14, and free for children 3 and under. To reach the park, you can take bus no. 52, leaving the Marienplatz, or U-Bahn U3 to Thalkirchen.

Do

Festivals

Munich Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest, [42]. — The first Oktoberfest took place on the 12 October 1810, to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen. All citizens of Munich were invited to a meadow (Wies'n) situated in front of the city tower, subsequently renamed the Theresienwiese in honor of the bride. In the early years of the fair, horse races were held, then as the event grew, an agricultural convention, which still takes place every fourth year, was added to the program. In 1896, businessmen working with the breweries in Munich built the first giant beer tents at Oktoberfest, and beer drinking has been the primary focus ever since. Today, the Oktoberfest is the best known beer festival around the world and has been replicated on all continents. In 2011, the Oktoberfest hosted 6.9 million visitors from around the world who drank 7.5 million liters of beer and ate the equivalent of 118 oxes and 522,821 roasted chickens. At the center of the spectacle are 14 large beer tents, which are set-up along the Wirtsbudenstrasse in the northern part of Theresienwiese. These have seating capacity of up to 8,500 inside the tent and additional hundreds or thousands of seats in the adjacent beer gardens. Here only beer of the 6 major Munich breweries (Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spaten-Franziskaner) is sold. The tents in alphabetical order are: 1. Armbrustschützen-Festhalle (Paulaner beer, here a crossbow shooting competition is held each year) 2. Augustiner-Festhalle (Augustiner beer, here the beer is still drafted from the traditional wooden barrels) 3. Bräurosl (Hacker-Pschorr beer) 4. Fischer-Vroni (Augustiner beer, the specialty is grilled fish) 5. Hacker-Festzelt (Hacker-Pschorr beer) 6. Hippodrom (Spaten-Franziskaner beer) 7. Hofbräu-Festzelt (Hofbräu beer, probably the most touristy among the tents) 8. Käfer's Wies'n-Schänke (Paulaner beer, meeting point of the celebrities) 9. Löwenbräu-Festhalle (Löwenbräu beer, known for the roaring lion above the main entrance) 10. Ochsenbraterei (Spaten-Franziskaner beer, here whole oxes are grilled) 11. Schottenhamel (Spaten-Franziskaner beer, location of traditional tapping of the first barrel by the Munich mayor) 12. Schützen-Festzelt (Löwenbräu beer) 13. Weinzelt (the tent for those who prefer wine and champagne) 14. Winzerer Fähndl (Paulaner beer) Especially on weekends you should try to get in the tents before 10AM. During the week, most tents are open all day, however it is not easy to get a seat if you are a larger group. It is a general rule that you will not get served if you do not have a seat. The exception is the Hofbräu Festzeltwhere beer is also served in a standing area. It is not recommended to leave the tent if you want to get in it later since it might be crowded by that time. There are also smaller beer tents, which also offer beer, Bavarian food and Oktoberfest music and it might be possible to still get a seat there when the large tents are already full. However, the Oktoberfest has more to offer than the parties inside the the beer tents. In the Schaustellerstrasse you can ride numerous roller coasters - assuming you are still able to do so after enjoying the Munich beer. Finally a few general hints:

Accommodation will be hard to find and prices can easily double during Oktoberfest.

Smoking is not allowed in the tents, but some tents feature designated outdoor smoking areas. Think twice if you want leave a tent for smoking since you may not get in again.

The closest underground station "Theresienwiese" (underground lines U4 and U5) is very crowded and will sometimes be closed because of this. As an alternative, go to the underground station "Goetheplatz" (lines U3 and U6). It's crowded too, but you will still have some air to breathe there. Just follow the crowd when you get out of the station.

In most beer tents the bar closes at 10:30pm while the tent closes at 11:30pm. You should have finished your beer before then since the security will ruthlessly clear the area.

Tents open at 10am usually (9am on weekends). The first day is tapping day (german "Anstich"). There is no beer served before noon and since the tents will surely be crowded by then, it will take some time until everyone is served.

If you are with small children, try to avoid the weekends. Every Tuesday from 12 to 6pm is family day with discounts on many rides.

Do not steal the 1 liter beer glasses. They might seem like a great souvenir, but bags are checked and everyone trying to steal a beer glass will be handed over to the police. If you really want one of these glasses, you can buy them for a few Euros.

Stay out of fights - the police will arrest you and and if you are crazy enough to hit and injure someone with a beer stein you will get charged with attempted manslaughter!

Maibaumaufstellen[43] — On the 1st of May (which is a public holiday in Germany) strange things happen in some Upper Bavarian villages and even in Munich... Men in Lederhosn and girls in Dirndln carrying long poles meet on the central square. With these poles an even longer white-blue pole is erected. There is usually an oompah band playing, booths selling food and drinks and tables where you can sit down and enjoy this non-touristy spectacle. The large white-blue pole you find in almost every village and dozens in Munich (e.g. on the Viktualienmarkt) is called Maibaum (meaning may tree - known in English as a maypole) and the villages compete who has the tallest and the straightest one. It is cut down every three to five years and re-erected in the following year. Ask a local which village or district of Munich does it this year and be there not later than 10AM. There's several traditions revolving around maypoles, like the dance of the unmarried men and women. The weeks before May 1st, each village has to guard its maypole, because if some other village manages to steal it, they'll have to buy it back. Usually with beer...

Tollwood[44] — In summer this alternative festival takes place in the Olympic Park, in winter on Theresienwiese (the Oktoberfest area). These 3-week festivals combine ethnic food, craft and souvenir shops, concerts and theater performances. They are very popular among the locals and worth a visit if you want to see a lesser known side of Munich.

Theater, Opera, and Music

The Nationaltheater - Munich's renowned opera house

Munich has many theaters and music venues showing different plays and performances:

Residenztheater— It houses the Bavarian State Theatre (Bavarian Staatsschauspiel), one of the most important German language theaters. Typically a variety of classical and modern plays are performed here.

Nationaltheater — Shows ballet and opera performances almost every night. The Bavarian National Opera Company is said by critics to be one of the best in the world. Several operas of Richard Wagner premiered in this venue, e.g. Tristan und Isolde (1865), Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1868), Das Rheingold (1869) and Die Walküre (1870).

Herkulessaal in der Residenz— primary concert venue of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, which was named the 6th best orchestra in Europe in a survey for Le Monde de la Musique and the 6th best orchestra in the world by The Gramophone magazine in 2008.

Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz— Smaller than the National Theater, this is a very good alternative for interesting productions of operas, operettas and musicals. Tickets are generally still available on short notice, even when the big opera houses have been sold out for weeks.

Kammerspiele— It often surprises viewers with very modern (and sometimes shocking) interpretations of famous plays.

Volkstheater— The plays performed here are somewhere between Bavarian Folklore and modern theater.

If you want to see a movie, keep in mind that foreign movies are normally dubbed with German voices. Advertisements will generally indicate if the movie will be shown in its original version (i.e., no overdubbing) with the abbreviations OV (Original version), OmU (Original with German subtitles), and OmeU (original with English subtitles). In the movie theater right next to the underground station Stiglmaierplatz, "Cinema" [45], movies are usually shown in the original language. Other options are the "Museums Lichtspiele" [46] or the big Multiplex cinema "Mathäser" [47] at Stachus, which usually show 1-2 movies in the original version.

Sport

Logo of FC Bayern München, Munich's record-breaking football club

Football — From August to May, you can catch football action with FC Bayern München and TSV 1860 München

FC Bayern München[48]. Germany's most successful football club won the German championship a record 23 times. Home games can be watched at Allianz Arena.

TSV 1860 München[49]. Munich's second football club won the championship once in 1966. Today it plays in the second league. It also uses the Allianz Arena for home games.

Basketball- FC Bayern München Basketball[50]. Home games of Munich's professional basketball club can be watched in the Audi Dome in the south of Munich.

Hockey - EHC Munich[51]. This is the professional hockey club in Munich. They play in the Olympic ice arena in Munich's Olympic Park.

River-Surfing[52] — Watch surfers ride a wave at the edge of the Englischer Garten, at the bridge close to Lehel U-bahn station.

Skiing/Snowboarding — In winter, get a "Bayern ticket" for Bavarian public transport, and go skiing at Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the day. Autobus Oberbayern [53] offers good value day trips to Austrian ski resorts such as Kaltenbach (Zillertal) [54], St. Johann [55] and Matrei [56].

Sightseeing/Tours

Private tours of Munich with Bodos Bavarian Tours — Bodo offers private tours of Munich and Bavaria. You can do your time and pace with a lot of fun.

Have a walk with a Munich Greeter — Greeter show their favorite spots in the city complimentary and full of passion . The idea: See exciting neighborhoods or the best beer gardens together with a local during a simple walk and listen to inside views of Munich. The aim is the cultural exchange and the dialogue between Greeter and the guest.

Learn

Technical University of Munich[57] Technische Universität München, Arcisstraße 21, D-80333 Munich. One of Germany's research university with a focus on engineering and natural sciences. It offers programs leading to bachelor, master and doctoral degrees.

Bundeswehr University Munich[64], Universität der Bundeswehr München, Werner-Heisenberg-Weg 39, D-85579 Neubiberg. This is one of two military universities in Germany.

Goethe Institut[65] — The Goethe Institut offers German courses for anyone. It offers several intensive courses and will find accommodation for students.

Buy

Munich is a huge city, so all individual listings should be moved to the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. Please help to move listings if you are familiar with this city.

Shopping on Maximilianstrasse

Pick up a free copy of the Haben & Sein magazine (also on www) to get latest information of shopping in Munich.

Maximilianstrasse / Residenzstrasse / Theatinerstrasse — These streets around the Opera (Nationaltheater) in the city center are the place to go if you are looking for high end luxury goods. All of the usual international suspects and some local designers and clothiers are present. A few art galleries are left despite the high rents.

Kaufingerstrasse / Neuhauserstrasse — This pedestrian zone stretches from Karlsplatz/Stachus to Marienplatz and is the primary shopping zone for mid-priced goods. Numerous department stores, chain and a few remaining independent boutiques line the corridor. The side streets are less crowded and offer some less homogenized shopping. Plenty of restaurants, open air cafes and beer gardens offer the weary tourist a rest. Foot traffic is amongst of the highest of any shopping zone worldwide. Warning: during the summer and on Saturdays, this area will be jam packed with locals and tourists alike and can be unpleasantly crowded.

Hohenzollernstrasse — This street has a collection of clothes shops, such as: Mazel, Vero Moda and especially during the summer in the months approaching the Oktoberfest, numerous shops selling comparatively cheap traditional German clothing (Lederhos'n and Dirnd'l). You can reach it by getting out at the U2 stop Hohenzollernstr and then walking in the direction of Münchner Freiheit (the locals will be able to tell you which direction that is,) or by going one stop on the 53 bus going towards Münchner Freiheit (that's the final stop, displayed on the front of the bus). From then on continue going in that direction, until you start seeing the shops. You can walk down there in about 15 minutes, and that then brings you to the next shopping zone.

Leopoldstrasse — This busy boulevard can be reached by the U-bahn U6 or U3 at the stops Münchner Freiheit, Giselastraße or Universität, and has chain stores such as The Body Shop, fast food joints, inexpensive restaurants, cinemas, sidewalk cafes and coffee shops, such as Starbucks. In the side streets you can find a wide selection of boutiques and lesser known local designers. On warm summer evenings along the sidewalks dozens of local artists will be showing and selling their works.

Gärtnerplatzviertel — The area around beautiful Gärtnerplatz (U-Bahn stop Marienplatz or Frauenhoferstrasse, U2) is a haven for vintage lovers. You can find local designers and other quirky shops.

Schellingstrasse — The neighbourhood around the main university campus (U-Bahn stop Universität, U3/U6) offers nice studenty clothes shops, small book stores, hip cafés and eats (e.g. the Pommes Boutique in Amalienstrasse with their fantastic Belgian fries [66])

Markets

Viktualienmarkt[67] — Famous market in the city centre, where you will find any imaginable sort of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, spices, and so on. Also plenty of places to get a quick bite to eat as well as its own little biergarten when the weather's warm enough.

Elisabethmarkt[68] — A smaller and less touristy (i.e. cheaper) market, it has cute stalls, a good selection of fruits, vegetables and delicacies, a quaint beergarten seasonally and an original feel. It is located at the tram stop Elisabethplatz of the tram 27. This is a good starting point to explore the less commercial parts of Schwabing, there are quite a few interesting boutiques and designers on Elisabethstrasse between Elisabethplatz and Leopoldstrasse.

Christmas Markets

During Christmas time, there are many of these Christkindl Märkte, or Christmas Markets [69], including the large Tollwood, but also smaller markets, where you can buy Christmas biscuits (Lebkuchen), souvenirs, and the typical Glühwein. Although pronounced glue-vine, it is mainly hot red wine with spices and different (secret) flavouring.

Münchner Freiheit — There is an artisan market at the subway stop in Schwabing.

Marienplatz — A bigger market, very commercial, it stretches across the shopping street, so you can mix Christmas market shopping (and eating) with "normal" shopping. If you walk south towards Sendlinger Tor, you'll reach more traditional woodcarvers' stands.

Chinesischer Turm at Englischer Garten has a nice Christmas market in a pretty park surrounding. Highly recommended if there's snow! It can conveniently be reached from U/Bus station Münchner Freiheit on the Bus 54, which has a stop Chinesischer Turm.

Wittelsbacher Platz — Close to Odeonsplatz, there is a medieval Christmas market where you can buy medieval clothes, food and drinks, swords / bows, and arrows and watch the performances of medieval dances and music.

Residence courtyard — A Christmas town with fairytale stories for kids.

Christkindltram[70] — A Christmas tram that runs only during Advent through the city center every half an hour (departure is from Sendlingertor). The tram is nicely decorated, where people can enjoy Christmas songs and mulled wine (Glühwein). One-way ticket costs €1.50.

Seasonal and Flea Markets

Throughout the city one finds occasional markets that are well worth the visit when they are taking place and a Saturday-morning must when the sun is shining!. The flea markets in Munich can be exceptional in that they are generally genuine private citizens selling their unwanted belongings with a minimum of commercial interest. In addition to the weekly offerings, you'll find several neighborhood 'courtyard fleamarkets' events in the summer months.

Auer Dult[71] are week-long market/fests that take place 3 times a year (Spring, Summer and Autumn) in Haidhausen primarily dealing in household goods and antiques but also offering beer and amusement rides. Definitely try to see this if you haven't seen Oktoberfest!

Theresienwiese[72] This has to be the largest annual fleamarket in Europe, taking place on the first Saturday of the Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival - occurs in the middle of April) on the same site as the Oktoberfest, there are generally several thousand citizens offering up their second-hand goods while dealers of new wares are forbidden! A yearly highlight for fleamarket and antique lovers if the weather is reasonable.

Hofflohmärkte This is where particular Munich city quarters encourage their residents to open up their courtyards whereby entire sections of the city become a combination flea market and private courtyard siteseeing - very interesting for viewing corners of the city one usually would not see. Event dates are coordinated by the city; inquire at local information centers for dates.

Messegelände Riem[73] At the site of the former airport, where in recent years the new convention grounds and residential neighborhood has bloomed, one also finds the current longest running weekly fleamarket. Although it's at the edge of town, the underground U2 will take you almost directly there. Saturdays 6AM-4PM (provided there is no convention fair taking place!)

Olympiapark[74] Fine weekly flea market throughout the year, breaking only when there are Olympia Stadium events. Taking place in the nicely tree-shaded parking lot of the stadium on Fridays and Saturdays from 7AM to 4PM.

FLOHPALAST[75] Daily fleamarket in a store. Open Monday to Saturday. Here you can rent a space for the fleamarket articles you would like to sell. Over 200 shelves which are full of different things. Two locations in Munich.

Eat

Bavarian cuisine

Weisswurst breakfast

Munich is home to everything quintessentially Bavarian. Munich is especially well-known for the Münchner Weisswurst, a veal-based breakfast sausage that is traditionally eaten as a late breakfast with a Brezn (prezel), sweet mustard and a Weissbier ('white beer', which outside Bavaria usually goes by the more descriptive name Weizenbier, 'wheat bier') and has traditionally been available in restaurants only until noon (today it can be ordered all day long).

The Bavarian meal often starts with a soup, of which there are many varieties. Staples include Leberknödelsuppe (soup with round dumpling containing liver), Grießnockerlsuppe (soup with semolina dumplings) and Pfannkuchensuppe (pancake soup). Main dishes are typically meat-based. Some examples, which you should taste, are Schweinsbraten (roasted pork), Schweinshaxe (roasted pork knuckle), Spanferkel (roasted suckling pig), Brathändl (roasted chicken) or Bauernente (roasted duck). Those are usually served with gravy and Knödel (large round poached or boiled potato or bread dumplings) or Späzle (egg noodles). There has always been a close exchange with neighboring Austria. Hence, the Wiener Schnitzel is also a staple on Bavarian menus. Typical desserts include Bayrische Creme (a pastry cream served with fruit or jam), Dampfnudeln (made from yeasty dough and served with vanilla custard) or the Austrian import Kaiserschmarrn (light caramelized mix of small pancakes and raisins eaten with apple sauce).

If you only fancy a snack, almost every butcher sells Leberkässemmeln, a white roll filled with a thick warm slice of "Leberkäse". Which, despite its name contains absolutely no liver nor cheese, but consists of a mixture of veal, pork, spices and a hint of lemon zest baked in an open pan and traditionally served with a sweet and grainy mustard. They tend to be very cheap (around €1.50), quite delicious, and filling. An alternative are rolls with Fleischpflanzerl, which a patties of mixed ground pork and ground beef eaten with spicy mustard.

Do not miss out on some of the truly marvelous Bavarian/Austrian style pies and cakes by the slice in any of the countless bakeries and cafes. Regardless of where you enjoy them, they are all traditionally made with high quality all natural ingredients. The same applies for the amazing range of bread which can be bought at any bakery.

Other cuisines

If Bavarian food does not sound appetizing, you are in luck because Munich is host to plenty of other international restaurants including, among others; Afghan, Chinese, Ethiopian, French, Indian, Nigerian, Irish, Japanese, Korean, Greek, Lebanese, Kenyan, Serbo-Croatian, Pakistani, Spanish and Turkish, as well as the typical American fast food.

Due to the proximity to Italy and as a result of Italian immigration in the 1960s, there is a plethora of Italian restaurants, osterias, trattorias and pizza places in all price ranges distributed throughout the city and essentially every Munich resident has her or his favorite Italian restaurant around the corner. If you need to cool down in the summer months, you can also enjoy delicious gelato at one of the many ice cream places mostly run by Italians.

Most restaurants serve vegetarian food options and indeed there is an increasing number of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Munich. Munich has numerous fresh markets, which can be a tasty, expedient and inexpensive alternatives to restaurants (see the Buy section for market listings). There are also numerous small booths throughout the pedestrian area selling fresh fruit, snacks, ice cream in spring and summer and chestnuts during fall and winter.

Drink

Beer halls and beer gardens

The Hofbräuhaus is the liquid symbol of Munich

If asked for things typical German, many people will have beer on top of their mind. And no other city symbolizes German beer culture as Munich. There are six major Munich breweries: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spaten-Franziskaner. On top of these there are plenty of breweries in the surrounding area - even the Munich International Airport has its own brewery called Airbräu. Munich breweries offer many varieties of beer. On all menus of Munich restaurants and bars you will find Helles (a light-colored lager), Dunkles (a malty dark beer), Weissbier (light-colored wheat beer), Weissbier Dunkel (dark-colored wheat beer) and in many cases a Bock beer. Seasonal specialties are the hefty Starkbier, a dark doppelbock brewed during the lent, and the Oktoberfest-Märzen, which is a stronger, malty lager brewed for Oktoberfest.

If you happen to be unfortunate enough to miss Oktoberfest, you can still experience Bavarian beer culture at its best in one of Munich's many beer halls and beer gardens as well as restaurants and bars. Beer halls can best be described as giant restaurants serving Bavarian fare and often owned by one of the Munich breweries. The Hofbräuhaus may be the most famous (and certainly the most touristy) beer hall, but there are countless more beautiful beer halls scattered throughout the city.

A summer alternative to beer halls are beer gardens. Beer gardens are a large outside area, usually located under large horse chestnut trees (Kastanienbäume) for shade. There normally are rows of fold-away tables and self-service. If you see tablecloths on some tables those tables are served by waiters. In a traditional Bavarian beer garden, you are allowed to bring your food along with you, if you are sitting at the self-service tables. Only beverages (usually one liter mugs of local beer (called a Maß) or Radler which is a half and half mix of beer and sprite) are to be bought at the beer garden. Many locals still cling to this custom, though food is available as well. Try Riesenbrezn (big pretzels) and Steckerlfisch (cured fish). Beer gardens are usually visited by a mixed crowd of people (locals and tourists, families, younger and elderly, straight and gay, blue and white collar etc.), from which the special atmosphere of a beer garden arises, though people normally don not go there alone.
If you cannot find a free table, do not hesitate to ask if you may join someone. No local would refuse this request, if there is a spot left. Beer gardens are family friendly, with children playgrounds on site. Well-behaved dogs are welcome, too. Beer gardens are a Bavarian cultural institution and can be found everywhere in and around Munich, e.g. there are two large beer gardens in the Englischer Garten. It is probably fair to say that you have not fully experienced the Munich spirit without having spent a few hours at a beer garden.

Cafes

Munich also has a strong coffee culture with numerous cafes scattered throughout the city. Many of these cafes have larger or smaller outdoor seating areas. Indeed, enjoying an espresso or a cappuccino in the sun while watching the crowd pass by is as essential for Munich residents as drinking beer under the chestnut trees of a beer garden.

These places are also very popular meeting spots for professionals after finishing work. At this time coffee cups are often replaced by glasses of wine, prosseco, Aperol Sprizz or Hugo, the latter two being wine/prosecco-based cocktails, which have become the staple aperitifs in Munich.

Clubs and Discos

Nightlife in Munich

You have to be at least 18 years old to get into most clubs and discos in Munich. Always have your passport or ID card with you, and a driver's licence may be okay, too. Some clubs have "Ü30-Parties", where you should be over 30 to get in, but usually you have no problems if you are over 25. In most places, it is ok to wear jeans and sneakers. Haidhausen is the popular nightlife district being home to Munich "Kultfabrik" and "Optimolwerk" clubbing neighborhoods. The locations of clubs change quickly, so best to check on the internet for upcoming events (e.g in-muenchen.de[76] is one of the nightlife guides).

Munich bars

Bars ranging from alternative to hip, inexpensive to pricy can be found throughout the inner city. The number of students living in Maxvorstadt has resulted in plenty of bars and cafes in Maxvorstadt and Schwabing, which are of course not only frequented by students. Also popular destinations for bar-hoppers are Haidhausen (see the section on clubs and discos) and Ludwigvorstadt-Isarvorstadt, where you also find most of Munich's gay bars and clubs. Since there are always new bars popping up and others shutting down it is best to check the internet for the latest recommendations.

Sleep

Munich abounds with accommodation for every type of traveler. The area directly around Munich Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) has numerous youth hostels, and upscale hotels like Le Meridien and Sofitel. Schillerstraße just a hundred meters to the south has many small hotels, too - the street looks fine in the day, but the strip bars and cabarets become much more visible at night (the area stays a perfectly safe area, though). Munich's most luxurious hotels such as Bayrischer Hof, Vier Jahreszeiten, The Charles, Königshof and similar places can be found mainly in the inner city area. There are also plenty of hotels and youth hostels in other districts of Munich particularly Schwabing, Bogenhausen (Arabellapark) and the area around Munich East station (Haidhausen). As one moves into the mostly residential neighborhoods of the city outskirt, the sleeping options drop down to small inns and bed and breakfasts (German: Pension).

You can pick the location of your accomodation depending on the purpose of your visit. The culture vulture might want to stay in Schwabing, close to galleries and museums. The nightlife aficionado may think about a place in Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt, close to the Isar river, where the density of bars and clubs is the highest. However, with Munich's very efficient public transport system, you can get to literally anywhere in the city within 30min.

Be aware that the prices can vary significantly by season. Usually you have to pay higher prices during the summer months of June to August. Finding affordable accommodation might be difficult when there are trade fairs in town. Last but not least there is Oktoberfest - around the festival from mid-September to mid-October accomodation prices tend to triple or quadruple and accomodation owners change their terms of use and payment.

Stay safe

Munich is a very safe city for its residents and travelers: it is one of the safest German cities overall and violent crime is extremely rare. Take the usual precautions (such as don't leave your camera unattended) and you will not encounter any crime at all.

Munich is an open-minded, international city with a large number of immigrants and expatriates living in the city (25% of residents have a migration background), so you are very unlikely to encounter any problems because you are a foreigner. Gay and lesbian travelers should neither experience any trouble: Munich has a large and vivid gay and lesbian community and the Rosa Liste, a gay rights party, has been part of the city government since 1996.

The main safety hazard in Munich is the local beer drinking culture in combination with the high accessibility of alcohol. Think twice before trying to keep up with the locals or looking for your maximum level of alcohol intoxication - being drunk will sharply raise your chances of injuring yourself. Another issue for people not used to driving or walking on ice or snow, are wintery road and sidewalk conditions.

Stay healthy

The emergency telephone number in Munich is 112 (like everywhere in the EU), which will connect you to emergency medical services, police, or fire brigade. The emergency telephone number 110 (Germany only) will connect you directly to the police.

There are several large hospitals with worldwide respect in Munich, inluding

Klinikum Großhadern (university hospital), Marchioninistraße 15 (Subway U6: ''Großhadern''), ☎+49 89 70950, [78]. The university hospital of the University of Munich (LMU). The staff is able to converse in English fluently and is also prepared to deal with non-English-speaking patients.

Klinikum Rechts der Isar (university hospital), Ismaninger Straße 22 (Subways U4 & U5: Max-Weber-Platz), ☎+49 89 41400, [79]. The university hospital of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The staff is able to converse in English fluently and is also prepared to deal with non-English-speaking patients, with a special focus on guests from Arabic countries.

Respect

Munich is a very clean city, in which Munich residents take pride. Hence, littering is highly frowned upon. So if you need to dispose of something look out for a trash can rather than just dropping things to the ground.

When using escalators, people in Munich usually reserve the right side for standing and the left side for people walking up the stairs. Also, when waiting for a bus or train, first let people get off, then enter.

Drinking alcohol in public transportation has been banned, though this new rule has been hardly enforced so far. Littering and other forms of environmental pollution are highly frowned upon.

If you are a German-speaker, you should not try to mock the Bavarian dialect - to Bavarians that sounds stupid or even offensive.

Contact

Cellular phone coverage is ubiquitous in the city, including subway tunnels and suburban train tunnels.

Free wireless internet hotspots are availabe in many cafés, restaurants, public institutions and the universities. Just ask the proprietor for the current access code and you are good to go.

Cope

Publications

in München[82] The biweekly magazine highlights upcoming events in and around Munich.

Münchner Merkur[83] This conservative-leaning newspaper has the second highest number of readers in the Munich area.

Süddeutsche Zeitung[84] The Süddeutsche is both one of the Germany's preeminent and most read daily newspapers. This liberal-leaning newspaper is a good source of information for what is going on in Munich, Bavaria, Germany and the World. The cultural part of the newspaper provides useful information for those interested in the latest cultural and artistic happenings in Munich.

Get out

The suburban trains (S-Bahn) S1 and S8 both go to the airport from Munich Central Station and Marienplatz S-Bahn station, but be careful because the S1 line splits into two separate trains at Neufahrn just before the airport, so be sure that you are riding in the section that is actually going to the airport (always the last part of the train). If you find yourself in the wrong car, just wait until Neufahrn and change into the last part of the train.

The Bayern Ticket is an amazingly cheap way to do day trips from Munich. It allowes you to travel anywhere in Bavaria on the regional trains all day (only from 09:00 weekdays). It costs €38 for a group of up to 5 people, and €22 for a single [122]. Make sure you buy it from the machines as there is a €2 surcharge if you buy it from the ticket office. There is also the Schönes Wochenende Ticket, which is valid everywhere in Germany, but it is only valid at weekends. It costs € 42 for a group of up to 5 and is also restricted to the regional trains.

Andechs Monastery — If you miss the Oktoberfest, it is worth travelling to the holy mountain of Andechs. It's a monastery up a hill from the Ammersee. Take the S8 from Munich to Herrsching and then either hike up the hill or take the bus. When you are there have a look at the old monastery church and the gardens before focusing on the excellent beer and Schweinshaxen in the beer garden or in the large beer hall. Makes a great day trip which can also be combined with some swimming the Ammersee. The hiking trail is unlit, and a good 30-45min. After dark, a flashlight is mandatory.

Chiemsee - Bavaria's largest lake (with a castle on an island named Herreninsel built by King Ludwig II, and a monastery built on another island, named Fraueninsel) is only one hour away from Munich.

Dachau offers a daytrip of a different kind. Prepare to be shocked of the atrocities committed by the Nazis during the Third Reich era displayed at the Dachau concentration camp memorial site.

Schloss Neuschwanstein located two hours south of Munich.

Füssen is nestled in the Alps of southern Bavaria. A train from Munich Central Station will take about two hours with one transfer at Buchloe (purchase the Bayern-Ticket option mentioned above which is valid for all trains and bus journey to the castle). The town is famous for King Ludwig II's "fairy-tale castle" Neuschwanstein. It also houses the castle where Ludwig II grew up (Hohenschwangau). If you go there, buy a combined ticket for both castles. Neuschwanstein is a must-see, but Hohenschwangau is historically more interesting, and the tour is so much better.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen at the foot of Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze. About 1.5hr by regional train (from Munich Central Station) or by car on autobahn A 95. The rack railway train to the top of the Zugspitze leaves regularly from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen railway station.

Königssee This emerald-green lake is surrounded by steep walls of rock, with the 1800-metre east wall of the Watzmann towering above its western shore. Take one of the ships to St Bartholomew's Church and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of this jewel of the Bavarian Alps.

Schloss Linderhof Linderhof palace is another palace of Ludwig II and the only one which was fully completed. The small palace was build in honors of French abolute monarch Louis XIV and features spectecular interiors and a great garden. One of the highlights is a surreal artifcial grotto in which Ludwig went to retreat from reality.

Nuremberg (German: Nürnberg) — Nuremberg is Bavaria's second largest city with a population of about half a million. In the middle ages, the Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation had one of their residences in the Nuremberg castle, which today is open to visitors. Nuremberg's vast medieval city center including parts of the former city fortifications are well maintained and worth a visit. It was also in Nuremberg where some of the leaders of the Nazi regime faced justice.

Regensburg - A beautiful medieval city and university town at the shores of the Danube. It's historical city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also the gateway to the Bavarian Forest, a wooded low-mountain region, parts of which form the Bavarian Forest National Park.

Salzburg (Austria) - The birth place of Mozart is an easy day trip from Munich. Trains run from Munich Central Station just about every hour, and take about 1.5hr. The Bayern Ticket is valid all the way to Salzburg.

Lake Starnberg makes an easy daytrip and can be easily reached by S-Bahn. Lake Starnberg is a fantastic place where you can swim, hike, cycle or simply enjoy a drink in a Bavarian beer garden. Empress Elisabeth, better known as Sissi, grew up in Possenhofen at the shores of this lake. Lake Starnberg was also the location of the mysterious death of King Ludwig II and his psychiatrist. The area around Lake Starnberg is the wealthiest community around Munich and one of the richest in Germany.

Tegernsee is the centre of a popular recreation area 50 kilometres south-east of Munich. Resorts on the lake include the eponymous Tegernsee, as well as Bad Wiessee, Kreuth, Gmund, and Rottach-Egern.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!